Apparatus for treating material under superatmospheric pressure



Nov. 22, 1966 KAZUO OGINO ETAL 3,286,493

APPARATUS FOR TREATING MATERIAL UNDER SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 9, 1964 TTTTTTTTTTYTTYTTTT INVENTORS. KAZUO OG/I'VO KEl/CH/ ZODA KE/TAHO SH/MODA A TTORNEY 1966 KAZUO osmo ETAL 3,286,493

APPARATUS FOR TREATING MATERIAL UNDER SUPERA'IMOSPHERIG PRESSURE Filed Nov. 9, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 U i J71 INVENTORS. KAZUO OG/NO KE/ICH/ ZODA KE/TARO SH/MODA A T TOR/VE Y United States Patent M 3,286,493 APPARATUS FOR TREATING MATERIAL UNDER SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE Kazuo Ogino, Keiichi Zoda, and Keitaro Shimoda, all of Saidaiji, Japan, assignors to American Cyanamid Company, Stamford, Conn., a corporation of Maine Filed Nov. 9, 1964, Ser. No. 409,864 Claims priority, application Japan, Nov. 30, 1963, 38/ 64,589 5 Claims. (Cl. 68-5) This invention relates to apparatus for continuously treating material (such as endless tow or staple fibers) with a treating medium (such as steam, water, or other gases or liquids) under superatmospheric pressure. More particularly, this invention relates to apparatus which is useful for treating acrylic fibers with Steam or water under superatmospheric pressure and at temperatures sufiiciently high to soften the fibers enough to permit relaxation thereof.

Prior to the present invention, it was known to continuously treat endless lengths of elongated material (such as fiber tow) under superatmospheric pressure and elevated temperatures with liquid or gaseous treating media to produce desirable changes in the properties of such fibers. Illustrative of such prior knowledge and practice are Osban and Carmen US. Patent No. 3,118,154 issued January 21, 1964, Healey US. Patent No. 3,046,773 issued July 31, 1962, Leins and Osban US. Patent No. 3,083,073 issued March 23, 1963, Osban US. Patent No. 3,012,427 issued December 12, 1961, Sonnino US. Patent No. 3,027,740 issued April 3, 1962, and the patents referred to therein. These references show that it is necessary to provide a seal means to prevent the escape of the pressure from the pressure-containing treatment vessel while permitting the tow to be fed continuously into and out from such pressure-containing vessel. In order to so feed the tow, it is necessary that it be subjected to tension, which tension serves to adversely affect the completeness of the relaxation achieved by such treatment due to the subjection of the softened fibers to tensile force reimposing some of the strains which the treatment had eliminated. It will be noted that these references generally attempt to minimize the effect of such tension on the heat-softened fibers by either quenching these fibers prior to or while passing through the exit seal of the perssurecontaining vessel or power driving the rolls in the exit seal. Unfortunately, while such practice serves to reduce the degradation of the material due to the necessary handling under tension, it cannot eliminate all such effects.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for accomplishing this same type of process wherein the fibers being treated can be passed into, through, and out from a chamber maintained at superatmospheric pressure without subjecting such material to any tension at all. It is a further object of this invention to provide such an apparatus which can also readily handle discontinuous lengths of material, such as staple fibers on a continuous basis.

These objects, and other objects as will hereinafter become apparent, are mainly achieved by the apparatus of the present invention wherein an endless conveyor comprising a plurality of substantially cylindrical containers secured end-to-end passes into, through, and out from a pressurized chamber provided with seals through which the conveyor passes. Each of the containers has the same external cross-sectional configuration so that each container will slide snugly through the inlet seal and the outlet seal while minimizing the escape of pressure therethrough. Each of these containers is provided with a lid which may be closed after fibers are put into such container for passage through the pressurized chamber and which may 3,286,493 Patented Nov. 22, 1966 be opened thereafter for removal of such thus-treated fibers. Each container is also provided with openings to permit the treating medium within the pressurized chamber to contact the fibers contained with-in each closed container while such container is passing through the pressurized chamber. Where such apparatus is to be used for treating an endless length of elongated material, each container is provided with an opening on each end thereof so that the elongated material may extend from each container to its adjacent neighboring containers when the lids thereof are closed and without the necessity of severing such endless length of elongated material into short sections.

For a more detailed description of specific embodiments of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of apparatus embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of an inlet seal or an outlet seal;

FIGURE 3 is a view taken along line AA;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 illustrating an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURES 5, 7 and 9 are sectional views illustrating different container constructions useful in the endless conveyor of the present invention; and

FIGURES 6, 8 and 10 are transverse sectional views of FIGURES 5, 7 and 9 respectively.

Referring next to the drawing, and, more particularly to FIGURE 1 thereof, a plurality of substantially cylindrical containers 1 for receiving fiber material are shown successively interconnected by joint pins 2 thereby constituting an endless conveyor which is supported by and continuously turned in a clockwise direction by wheels 3 and 3' driven by suitable driving means (not shown). Surrounding a portion of this endless conveyor is pressurized chamber 4 provided with an inlet seal 5 and an outlet seal 6 through which containers 1 pass in entering and leaving pressurized chamber 4. Pressurized chamber 4 is also provided with means 7 for introducing steam or other treating medium to the interior thereof. The inlet seal 5 and outlet seal 6, as shown in FIGURES 2, 3, and 4, are of the gland seal type utilizing packings 15 and spacers 16 interposed between the containers 1 and a seal cylinder 14, the cross-sections of which may assume a circular, rectangular or any other desired shape. Also, other conventional seals may be used which, in cooperation with the containers 1 passing therethrough, serve to minimize loss of pressure from chamber 4.

Each of the containers 1 includes a lid 8 which is hinged or otherwise attached to the container 1 and is adapted to be freely opened and closed at right angles to the direction of the travel of the containers 1. The conveyor is so arranged (see FIGURE 1) that each lid 8 is opened when the container 1 is in its lower return passage, and is closed by a lid-closing guide 9 or other means located immediately before the inlet seal 5 after each container 1 has been passed over the wheel 3 and charged with fiber material. Thereafter, it is passed through the pressurized chamber 4 and then around the other wheel 3', whereupon it is again opened by gravity, as illustrated.

A conventional stuffingabox type crimper may be arranged immediately adjacent the apparatus of this invention, which crimper is composed of co-acting feed rolls 11, 11', and a stuffing box 12 and discharges into the containers 1 by means of a chute 13. Tow 17, thrust out from the crimper 10, is slid on the chute 13 and discharged into the open container 1 which is closed by guide 9. Therefore the tow is moved along with the container 1 to be subjected to the predetermined treatment as it is passed through the pressurized treating chamber 4 and 3 it is finally discharged after the container 1 has been passed around the other wheel 3'.

FIGURES 5-10 illustrate in detail some examples of such containers. The arrangement shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 will first be described. Container 1', including a lid 8' joined thereto by a hinge 18' has located therein an inner trough 19' fabricated of wire-netting or a perforated sheet in which will be placed a sliver or tow 17 in a folded condition. Container 1 is provided at its central part with a number of holes 20 so that when the container -1 sealingly containing the sliver or tow therein is passed into the pressurized treatment chamber 4, the treating medium may intrude thereinto through the perforations 20 to reach the fibers through the wire meshes or perforations of trough 19'. 21 denotes an upper seal plate and 22' denotes a lower seal plate located at each end of container 1 which are so arranged that the continuous sliver or tow 17 may be nipped in a clearance 23' defined by both plates. The size of the clearance 23 is narrowed to have a value substantially equal to the thickness of the sliver or tow 17'. Also, seal plates 21' and 22' can be so adjusted to completely close the opening 23' if cut fibers or discontinuous fibers are to be treated. The pressure scaling to be provided when the container 1 is passed through the inlet seal 5 or the outlet seal -6 is effected, at the outer periphery of the container 1, by the gland packings 15 fitted in the seal cylinder 14 while it is effected, between adjacent containers 1', 1 by upper and lower seal plates 21', 22' and sliver or tow 17 (when clearance 23 is provided).

The embodiment shown in FIGURES 7 and 8 have the same structures as those shown in FIGURES 5 and 6 except that the container 1" is circular in cross-section.

Further, instead of using seal plates 21 and 22, the embodiment shown in FIGURES 9 and uses restraint plates 24 and thus the continuous sliver or tow 17" coming out of the crimper is held down by the restraint plates 24 in a folded condition, the fibers themselves serving as packing means.

Thus, in use of the apparatus of this invention, the fibers to be treated are in a condition of being relaxed in continuously moving containers so that the fibers will neither be subjected to tension, friction, etc. nor be damaged thereby. Also, the material to be treated may have any configuration, thereby allowing one to treat the material while maintaining the same in a crimped condition. Thus, the invention is also advantageous for continuously producing fibers having thermally stable crimp utilizing heat treatment for improving the quality of the product yarns.

As noted, the description of the embodiments of the apparatus has been made with respect to treatment of continuous slivers or tow, but the apparatus may also be applied to the treatment of cut fibers or other materials, the principal caveat being that seal plates 21' and 22 should be adjusted to eliminate the opening 23' which was provided for treatment of slivers or tow.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for continuously treating material with a treating medium under superatmospheric pressure comprising:

(a) an endless conveyor comprising a plurality of substantially cylindrical containers secured end-toend, all of such containers having the same external cross-sectional configuration in planes perpendicular to the path of travel of such containers when such conveyor is in motion, each of said containers including a lid moveable between an open position and a closed position and each being provided with openings through which treating medium can flow into such container when such lid is in the closed position;

(b) a pressurized chamber surrounding a portion of said conveyor, said chamber being provided with an inlet seal and an outlet seal disposed along such path of travel, each of such seals being configurated to enclose at :all times at least a portion of a container in a pressure-sealing enclosure;

(c) means to move said endless conveyor so each container thereof follows a closed path, a portion of which passes through said pressurized chamber and the inlet seal and outlet seal thereof; and

((1) means for introducing a treating medium into said pressurized chamber under superatmospheric pressure.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said substantially cylindrical containers has a rectangular external cross-sectional configuration.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said substantially cylindrical containers has a circular external cross-sectional configuration.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein each of said substantially cylindrical containers is provided with an opening in each end thereof through which continuous material may extend from each container to its adjacent neighboring containers when the lids thereof are closed and 'wherein such inlet seal and such outlet seal is configurated to enclose at all times portions of at least two such containers in a pressure-sealing enclosure.

5. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 including means to close each container of said endless conveyor prior to its passage through the inlet seal of said pressurized chamber; and means to open each such container subsequent to its passage through the outlet seal of said pressurized chamber.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 382,800 5/1888 Dixon 68-5.4 493,570 3/1893 Wheeler 685.4 X 1,092,976 4/1914 Cilley 685.5

IRVING BUNEVICH, Primary Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY TREATING MATERIAL WITH A TREATING MEDIUM UNDER SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE COMPRISING: (A) AN ENDLESS CONVEYOR COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL CONTAINERS SECURED END-TOEND, ALL OF SUCH CONTAINERS HAVING THE SAME EXTERNAL CROSS-SECTIONAL CONFIGURATION IN PLANES PERPENDICULAR TO THE PATH OF TRAVEL OF SUCH CONTAINERS WHEN SUCH CONVEYOR IS IN MOTION, EACH OF SAID CONTAINERS INCLUDING A LID MOVEABLE BETWEEN AN OPEN POSITION AND A CLOSED POSITION AND EACH BEING PROVIDED WITH OPENINGS THROUGH WHICH TREATING MEDIUM CAN FLOW INTO SUCH CONTAINER WHEN SUCH LID IS IN THE CLOSED POSITION; (B) A PRESSURIZED CHAMBER SURROUNDING A PORTION OF SAID CONVEYOR, SAID CHAMBER BEING PROVIDED WITH AN INLET SEAL AND AN OUTLET SEAL DISPOSED ALONG SUCH PATH OF TRAVEL, EACH OF SUCH SEALS BEING CONFIGURATED TO ENCLOSE AT ALL TIMES AT LEAST A PORTION OF A CONTAINER IN A PRESSURE-SEALING ENCLOSURE; (C) MEANS TO MOVE SAID ENDLESS CONVEYOR SO EACH CONTAINER THEREOF FOLLOWS A CLOSED PATH, A PORTION OF WHICH PASSES THROUGH SAID PRESSURIZED CHAMBER AND THE INLET SEAL AND OUTLET SEAL THEREOF; AND (D) MEANS FOR INTRODUCING A TREATING MEDIUM INTO SAID PRESSURIZED CHAMBER UNDER SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE. 